This invention relates to a screen for vehicle windows adapted for both blocking entry of the sun into the interior of the vehicle and for providing insulative benefits.
It has long been considered desirable to limit the entry of sunlight into the interior of a vehicle, such as automobile, truck, bus and the like, so as to prevent excessive warming of the interior and to prevent damage to the interior surfaces (drying, cracking, fading and the like). In accordance with this desire, a variety of arrangements have been proposed for blocking the sun including the use of tinted windows and windshields, the provision of window shades, especially in vans which can be closed or opened, and the provision of metallic or plastic screens which may be inserted into a vehicle window frame and semipermanently attached. Of course, the primary method of blocking the sun from entering a vehicle windshield has been the use of only partially tinted windows, with the tinting being placed in the upper 1/5 or so of the windshield, or the use of accordian like fold-out inserts which may be put in place on the vehicle dashboard against the inside of the windshield while the vehicle is not being driven. Such arrangements do cut down on the amount of sunlight allowed to enter the interior of a vehicle and thus do inhibit the interior warming. However, the tinting of the windshield provides only limited protection from the sun since substantial warming still takes place and damage to interior surfaces will likely still occur from sunlight entering the windshield at locations below the level of tinting. The foldout screens function to better prevent entry of the sun but they are quite cumbersome to use and must be stored when the vehicle is being driven. Also, such foldout screens do not provide any substantial deterent to convective transfer of heat from the interior surface of the windshield to other interior parts of the vehicle.